Rupp entered Friday leading all hitters with the highest average exit velocity (97.5 mph) on batted balls in play this season, Glenn Sattell of MLB.com reports.
Giancarlo Stanton led the league with a 98.5-mph average last season, putting Rupp in good company. Exit velocity alone does not mean Rupp is in Stanton's stratosphere as a player, but it is a positive attribute in his skill set. Other factors, such as launch angle, play an important role in batted-ball outcomes. According to Rob Arthur of FiveThirtyEight, the best hitters have exit velocities above 90 mph and launch angles around 25 degrees. Rupp is averaging around 10 degrees with his launch angle this season.